Football Season Guide

The 2023 season was disappointing for Athletico, finishing in 8th position and failing to advance to the later stages in the cups. At no point during the season did the team manage to satisfy their supporters, whether under the leadership of Paulo Turra or interim coach Wesley Carvalho. Even after an uneven start to the year and with new manager Juan Carlos Osorio being replaced by Cuca, Athletico managed to find some balance and became champions of Paraná for the second straight year. In the last transfer window, they suffered the significant loss of striker Vitor Roque and acquired some established players such as forward Gonzalo Mastriani and right-back Léo Godoy, along with some young talents like defender Mateo Gamarra, midfielder Felipinho, and winger Romeo Benítez. Overall, Athletico has a good and balanced squad, mixing experienced players like Fernandinho with younger ones. It will be interesting to see 21-year-old Bruno Zapelli taking the lead from the start of the season. New signing striker Gonzalo Mastriani also raises high expectations after a stellar 2023 with América Mineiro. The main weakness of the squad might be the absence of an obvious substitute for Zapelli's position, as well as the lack of experience among the immediate replacements for some positions, such as goalkeeper, left-back, and center-backs.